Mary Stewart announces Iowa Senate candidacy

Community activist and retired educator Mary Stewart has announced her candidacy for the Iowa Senate in District 41, currently held by Republican Sen. Mark Chelgren of Ottumwa.

Stewart will seek the Democratic Party’s nomination.

District 41 includes all of Davis and Van Buren counties, and portions of Wapello and Jefferson counties.

In 2014, Chelgren defended his seat by defeating Democratic challenger Steve Siegel 51 percent to 49 percent. Iowa Senate terms are four years, so the seat will be up for grabs once again in November 2018.

Stewart said in a news release that job creation in southern Iowa towns and rural areas would be her No. 1 priority.

“Southern Iowans aren’t getting their fair share from the politicians in Des Moines,” she said. “Rather than more partisan games and political promises, the people of Southern Iowa need a Senator who will work to create more job opportunities in our small towns and rural areas.”

Before retiring in 2011, Stewart spent 33 years at Indian Hills Community College, where she focused her energy on initiatives such as job training for adults, youth employment and working with Southern Iowa employers on their workforce needs.

“Based on my experience in job training programs at Indian Hills, I know that this part of the state has good workers and good employers,” she said. “They just need better leadership to help turn things around. Southern Iowans want good jobs with good wages, not politics as usual.”

A southern Iowa native, Stewart is a graduate of Centerville Community College, which is now part of Indian Hills Community College. She received a bachelor’s degree from William Penn University in Oskaloosa and a master’s degree from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. She and husband Tom have three children and two grandchildren.

“I pledge to work hard every day to listen to people and to talk about real solutions to real problems in southern Iowa,” she said.